


Essentials For Living

by monicasanoli



Category: 30 Seconds to Mars
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-08-22 21:03:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16605410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monicasanoli/pseuds/monicasanoli
Summary: Unedited, as always. Tell me what you think ;)





	1. Chapter 1

She was invisible. Ashley was pretty sure her boss didn't know who she was, and that he wouldn't recognize her if they met on the street. She'd been introduced to him on her first day, but that was the only time he'd even spoken to her. Three years later, she was still the marketing assistant he probably didn't know was in his payroll.

Which was just fine.

Her colleagues were nice enough to her, and the job itself wasn't bad. It helped her keep her head above the water, something she couldn't take for granted in Los Angeles. The city was too damn expensive, and she wasn't about to call her parents asking for money, not again. She was happy keeping her head down and being invisible. Or that's what she kept telling herself.

The thing was, she sort of had a big, big crush on her boss. Shannon was half of the reason she moved to the city in the first place. Not to work with him; Ashley never thought she would get that lucky. But to breathe the same air he did, and maybe get inspired the same way. When she applied for that position at Black Fuel, she wasn't really confident she would get in. She had all the requirements, but she lacked connections with important people, a requirement she assumed was implied.

Black Fuel was a trading company specialized in coffee blends. There was nothing new about the business model, but the way the company was structured. Shannon made a point in keeping it small and true to its principles, though still aiming for large profits and international trade. Over the years, he'd gotten many offers from larger groups that wanted to buy him out, but he'd always rejected them. For him, Black Fuel was his family and he knew all his employees by name. That's what he'd said in his lecture at Ashley's university job fair some years before. She had been six months away from graduation, and she'd fallen for him. 

Purely platonic, a professional admiration, she used to tell herself. It had given her her first concrete career goal, after all. So it certainly couldn't be that bad.

In her first couple of months at the job, Shannon had been to the office twice, three times at best. Ashley got so used to his absence that she felt very self-conscious when he was there. So much so that she'd never worked up the courage to speak to him. After the first year and a half, it just hot weird, so she forced herself to stop thinking about it.

In theory, no one knew what Shannon was doing when he wasn't at the office - a house he'd bought and renovated for that purpose only. With time, however, Ashley understood.

Travis was the guy who manned the fort at all times. Officially, he was Black Fuel's COO, but he also picked up drugs, women, booze, whatever Shannon needed to spend the night. He was the only one who knew of Shannon's whereabouts, and he'd die before he told anyone. Ashley suspected he knew about her feelings towards their boss, so she was careful not to ask him about Shannon or say anything that wasn't work related.

Actually, the word "feelings" was a bit too strong. She was just... attracted to him. Yes, that was it. A harmless attraction. 

She tapped the pen on the notebook, nervously. Where the hell was he?

After years of not even gracing her with a look, Shannon had sent her an email inviting her to a private meeting. She had just finalized the marketing campaign for a new blend launch, the first one Abby, her manager, had trusted her with entirely, from planning to execution. Proud of her work, confident that Shannon had been impressed with it, Ashley wore her best outfit to the meeting.

When she arrived that morning, Travis was busying himself with a pile of contracts and things he had to approve.

"Hey, what's up, Travis?" She said while putting her bag on her desk.

"Catching up on paperwork," he replied, without looking up. "You can go straight to Shannon's office, by the way. He'll be there soon."

"Oh, okay."

So she went and there she waited for almost an hour until he showed up.

"Ashley," he nodded politely, closing the door. She smiled back, taking in his looks. He was wearing dark denim pants and a black T-shirt, the contrast with his white skin very pleasant to look at. His short-trimmed beard looked like it would be smooth to the touch, if only she could reach and...

"For goodness sake, control yourself," Ashley thought, feeling her cheeks blush while Shannon sat across from her. She watched as he clicked something on his laptop, taking a sip of coffee from his mug and putting it on the desk. That simple gesture caused his muscles to flex under the black cotton, and Ashley had to fake a coughing fit to hide her reaction.

"Are you feeling alright?" He raised his eyebrows. "Do you need to get some water or anything?"

"Oh, no. I'm fine, thanks."

"So, Ashley," he finally looked at her, crossing his fingers under his chin. "How long have you been working with us?"

"Three years," she answered proudly. "Three years and four, five months."

"So you should know how things work around here," he mumbled to himself, writing something down on a note pad.

"I'm sorry?"

"Abby is your manager, right?"

"Yes," she hesitated. "Is there something wrong?"

"Was it Abby who gave you the new S.L. Blend campaign?"

"Yes."

"And what the hell were you thinking when you came up with this shit?" He tapped the screen on his iPhone and showed her one of the pictures she'd approved for the campaign.

"I'm sorry, I don't get it. What's so wrong about it?"

"We don't use the essentials for living tagline anymore!" He shouted. "That's done. I've made it clear I didn't want it associated with us anymore."

"There must have been a mistake, then," she said. "I haven't seen that in the briefing."

"Are you trying to be smart?"

"I'm... no! Of course not! But you're not being reasonable. I have all the briefing documented, I can prove it to you..."

Shannon sighed loudly, making her stop talking. "Go, get your things, get out of here."

"What?"

"You've heard me. You're fired. Leave. Travis will handle the details with you."

Ashley wet her lips and felt the hot tears of anger running down her cheek when she stood. Trying to keep her cool, she waited until he looked at her again. 

"You are nothing like I thought you were."

She walked away, no idea what she would do next.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unedited, as always. Tell me what you think ;)

Five years later

Who has time to go clubbing in the middle of the week? That's what Ashley told her girlfriends with a pronounced roll of her eyes when they informed her they would be going out Wednesday night. In reality, however, she was dying to have some fun. As her friends knowingly pointed out, she had been busting her ass on her new online course launch for months, organizing and practically doing everything herself, she deserved some time off.

"Remind me, darling, how long are you staying this time?" Sophie asked while checking her lipstick in the pocket makeup mirror she produced from her hand clutch.

"I fly out on Sunday."

"Come on, girl. Tell her where you're going," Josie winked to the bouncer as he let her in. "You gotta start being proud of yourself."

Ashley showed her ID and caught up to the other two. "I'm going to San Francisco to do another TED Talk."

"Another?" Sophie yelled to be heard over the loud music. "My friend, the TED speaker! We gotta drink to this!"

One hour and many shots later, Ashley was coming out of the bathroom when she saw him lounging in the VIP area. If things had been different, she would surely have turned her gaze and forgotten all about it. She would have ordered ten more shots of tequila and woken up the next day on Sophie's couch, her memory erased. But he was looking straight at her, and she couldn't avert her eyes in time; he'd recognized her.

"I'm a successful businesswoman, I've built a whole goddamned company from scratch, all on my own. I'm a fucking TED speaker! I don't need him, I don't need him, I don't..."

She was making her way to the bar as fast as she could, repeating those words under her breath, when she felt his hand on her shoulder. It was his hand, she didn't have to turn around to know it. Suddenly her surroundings felt warmer and she was too self-conscious of her presence near him.

"Ashley, is it?" Shannon asked with a smirk. She couldn't hate him more. "You've worked for me some years ago."

"I'm surprised you remember." Ashley crossed her arms in front of her chest, determined to defend herself from any bullshit he had in store. It was true that her being fired from Black Fuel had been what led her to open her own digital marketing company, but Ashley could never forgive the embarrassment and humiliation he had put her through that day.

"I watched your TED Talk last year, it would be hard not to remember you."

"Why is that?"

He wet his lips, tilting his head to the side, clearly checking her out.

"Oh my god," Ashley sighed in exasperation and turned to leave, but there were too many people around them, and Shannon held her wrist.

"Wait," he said. "I'm sorry."

"You're disgusting!"

"I know, I'm sorry. Why don't you come hang out with me over there, where it's not so crowded?" He pointed to the VIP area.

"Thanks, but I should find my friends and leave."

"Oh, c'mon." He pulled her towards him, holding her body against his by the small of her back. "I know what you think of me," he whispered in her ear.

"What?" Ashley wasn't sure she had listened correctly, but as soon as she turned to face him, Shannon held her face with both hands and kissed her.

She hated him, and she wished she'd never seen his lecture at university when she was so young and vulnerable. But he was still the hottest man she'd ever seen, even after five years of only seeing him now and then in her mind when she was touching herself, even worn out by all the excesses in his life, he was irresistible. Ashley found herself kissing him back, but she was having a hard time shutting up all the voices in her head that were yelling for her to stop. The taste of whiskey, smoke and bad decisions was too intoxicating.

"Screw VIP, come with me." He held her hand and led her outside, where the valet ran to get his car as soon as he saw them. "Um, I'm glad you don't work for me anymore," he said as he kissed her jaw and neck, pinning her against the outer wall of the club.

"Excuse me?" Ashley managed to push him away enough to ask.

"Here's your key, sir," the valet materialized next to them.

Shannon took the key, tipped the man and stopped as he was about to get in the car. Ashley had moved away from the wall, but she was standing only halfway to the passenger side. Sensing her discomfort, he leaned against the door jamb, resting his arms on the roof. "Believe it or not, honey, I make a point of not sleeping with my employees. That's what I meant."

Ashley exhaled and shook her head. She knew she was letting him see how nervous she was, and she hated that whole night.

"I'm sorry, Shannon, I really don't think this is a good idea."

"Why not?" He went back around the car and held her waist firmly enough to make her gasp. "We both know you had a crush on me when I fired you," he whispered as he brushed his lips against the skin of her neck.

"Fuck," she breathed out, not as invested in pushing him away as she wanted to.

"We both know you hate me," he bit her lower lip. "We both know the anger you felt fueled this amazing career you're building for yourself."

"Fuck you," she dug her nails into his arms.

"The best way to release all these pent-up emotions is by having sex." His hands traveled down to squeeze her bottom, making her bite her own lips as she moaned.

"With you, you mean?" She smiled.

"Ha," Shannon opened the passenger door, "she has a sense of humor," he slapped her butt as she got inside the car.

As soon as they drove off, Ashley took her cellphone out and texted Sophie and Josie to let them know where she was going.

"Texting your friends?" She frowned at him and he laughed. "I saw you going in with two other girls."

"You're getting creepier by the minute."

He shrugged. "You don't have to go home with me if you don't want to." Ashley laughed. "I mean it. We're both a little drunk, I don't want you to feel like you're being forced into something you don't want to."

"Seriously? After coming this close to fucking me on the sidewalk back there?"

"Do you want it or not?"

"Yes!" She answered too fast and looked out the window, feeling her cheeks burn. She didn't turn to him when he chuckled quietly, nor when he palmed her thigh, pulling her skirt up to reveal purple lace panties.

"Purple, huh?" Shannon looked at her once and then back to the road. "I thought you'd be wearing black." His fingers pushed the fabric aside and instantly went to her clit, rubbing and circling it in what seemed to be slow motion. "You're so fucking wet, I just want to park right here and fuck you blind," he exhaled.

"Why don't you?"

He laughed. "I was caught by a police officer once."

Ashley laughed and he moved his fingers faster, making her gasp and grab the seat under her. She wiggled her way out of her panties and looked at him, pleading.

"You gotta be patient," he smirked, but let his hand travel up under her skirt again. "Tell me about you. What happened after I fired you?"

"I went back to my parents house, in Denver, and a few months later I started my own company. I've been growing it ever since." She closed her eyes and let the waves his fingers were creating travel up and down her body. "About three, four months ago I hired an assistant to help me... fuck... to help me... with my schedule, because I'm getting... Shannon, please."

He didn't stop or changed his pace. "You're getting?"

"I'm getting a lot of invitations to participate in events across the... ah.... across the country. And it's hard to manage it all on my own. And I'm thinking of... aah... of hiring more people to help in other areas of the company. Shannon!" He suddenly removed his fingers and she realized they were not moving anymore. When she opened her eyes, he was beaming at her from the driver's seat.

"You sound amazing, girl." He got out of the car and she followed him into his house, which, she had time to notice, couldn't be far from the one where she'd worked before. As soon as they got in, he took off her jacket and slammed her against the wall, grabbing her hair and kissing her until she pushed him away to get some air.

Ashley made her way to the home bar on a corner, walking slowly and summoning all confidence she had. When she reached the counter, she took her top off and turned to face him in nothing but a black skirt and a purple bra. Shannon was shirtless, his pants halfway down his legs, when she turned and gave him what she hoped was a sexy smile.

"Can we get a drink?"

He walked towards her and she let him run the tip of his fingers over the top of her breasts. She moaned when he pressed his erection against her, the fabric of his boxers restraining it.

"Come on," she laughed a little, pushing his briefs down to wrap one hand around his dick and palm his balls with the other. "Get us a drink."

As he went behind the counter to pour some tequila in a couple of shot glasses, Shannon watched Ashley remove her bra and skirt, all with her back to him. She had one leg flexed, her knee resting on the couch, when he came behind her and pushed her blonde hair aside to kiss her neck. "What are you looking at?" He wrapped one arm around her waist, and as she took the drink he was holding, he grabbed and squeezed one of her breasts, making her drop her head back on his shoulder.

"Those paintings," she answered, pointing to the wall. "They're quite nice."

Shannon rolled her to face him and kissed her mouth again. "You're quite nice," he said and downed his shot.

Ashley laughed, drinking hers, too. "You're pathetic." However, she dropped down on her knees without warning and took him in her mouth, savoring the mixture of the soft skin of his dick and tequila. She didn't care anymore, if she was making a mistake, as her friends would surely tell her she was, then so be it. Shannon was pathetic, Ashley had lived and learned enough to know that now. More than that, he was a selfish, sexist, self-destructive prick who took advantage of women in every aspect of his life. She was glad he'd fired her when he did. But she would be lying though her teeth if she said she wanted to stop blowing him right then. The last thing she wanted was to stop. She wanted him to come inside her mouth, she wanted to fuck him all night, she wanted him to grab and pull at her hair as she was coming all over his dick. That didn't make her less of a feminist, did it?

"Stop... stop it!" Shannon took a few steps back as Ashley watched him from the floor, on all fours. She knew he was about to come.

"Is everything alright?"

He got her up from the floor and sat on the couch, making her straddle him. "Everything's perfect," he said, nibbling her nipples. "I just want to fuck your tight little pussy."

"I left my clutch in your car, where do you keep your condoms?"

"Can you reach my wallet over there?"

Ashley looked at the wallet on the floor and winked at him. She got up and bent, giving him a great view of what he wanted to fuck. As she got the condoms from his wallet, he held her legs in place and started licking her, sending shivers all over her body. When he was confident she was balanced on her own, he put one, then two thick fingers inside of her, his other hand busy with himself.

"Shannon, please," she begged. "I want your dick."

He lapped at her clit a few more times, then quickly got the condom she was still holding. Ashley lay on her back on the couch and held her legs up as he wrapped the rubber around his dick. He felt amazing inside of her, stretching every inch of her core and taking her right to the edge with every thrust... and then he stopped.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I... um..." He was holding her leg and the back of the couch for support. 

"Do you want to try another position?"

"Yeah, that'd be good. Do you mind staying on top?"

"Um, sure. Okay."

They moved and she straddled him again, but he wasn't hard enough anymore. 

"Fuck," he breathed out.

"I can help you," Ashley offered, sliding down his legs, ready to take his dick in her mouth again.

"No," he said, "I... my mind is not here. I'm sorry."

"Ouch," she laughed, sitting on the carpet in front of him.

"I know it sounds like bullshit, but it's not you. It's definitely not you."

"Oh, I know it's not me," she got up. "No offense. Sort of."

Shannon smiled, reaching for his pants as she put her bra back on. "You know, I think we could've worked out if we'd met some other time."

"Ouch! Seriously, don't you think before you speak, like, ever? Whatever's going on with you is not my fault and I'm very aware of that. You were the one who came on to me at the club, I would've been happy to ignore you, and why the hell are you smiling?"

He handed her her top and another shot of tequila. "Do you remember why I fired you?"

"Of course I do. Because of that essentials for living tagline," Ashley drank and pressed the back of her hand against her mouth as she swallowed. "You decided you didn't want to use it all of a sudden."

"I'm pretty sure I'll never see you again, that's why I'll tell you this," Shannon drank his shot. "I once had a very special person in my life. I would've died for her, she was the reason why I created Black Fuel, she was everything to me. But she left me for some other guy. Just up and left, and never looked back." He poured himself another drink and downed it before he went on. "She created the essentials for living tagline, and you remind me of her. She wasn't... she wasn't blond like you, but..." he wet his lips. "It's disturbing how much you look like her. I know what I did wasn't fair to you, but look at you now, huh? Black Fuel is about to end, and you're doing fucking TED Talks and making more money than anyone your age."

Ashley shook her head, but she was smiling. "When I was in college I saw you at a job fair and I fell in love with you. It was absolutely platonic, but it was the start of my career. I came to LA because of you, and you crushed my dreams."

"Good. You're better off now."

"I guess I am."

"Look, I'm sorry about tonight..."

"It's fine," Ashley interrupted. "Really. Somewhere deep down I know there's a good, decent guy, who fucks incredibly well," they both laughed, "and treats girls the way they should be treated. It's a shame I didn't get to meet him, but someone else might."

"Thank you, Ashley."

"Ha, I thought you'd forgotten my name," she laughed as she put her jacket back on.

"Do you want me drive you back?"

"Not in your condition. I'll get a car. I do need to get my panties and my purse from your car, though."

The following day, Ashley woke up with a text from an unknown number:

"U need to train your assistant better. She gave me ur number on my first try."

Her answer was short: "prick :)"


End file.
